Monday, 8 December 2014

Weekend Life....Borgo di Carpiano, Gubbio, Umbria

Situated
in the centre of Italy and landlocked by Tuscany, Le Marche and Lazio, Umbria
has been described as the belly button of Italy. Whether an innie or an outie I
am not sure, but it is a rather sweet way of describing a glorious part of
Italy. Rolling hills, sun-bleached fields, walled hilltop towns, soaring
mountains and vast swathes of olive groves and grape vines characterise the
Umbrian landscape. And while it shares a border with Tuscany, Umbria feels a
little less sleek and manicured, more rustic and undiscovered . . . . an
insiders place for those in the know.

Approaching
Borgo di Carpiano, a rural retreat tucked into a verdant valley about 30*
minutes drive from the ancient town of Gubbio, feels rather like we were
discovering another insider secret. Descending a winding gravel road bordered
by dense forest, Borgo di Carpiano is not somewhere you are likely to just
stumble across on an afternoon drive in the Umbrian countryside. And I get the
feeling that the owners, Marilisa and Riccardo Parisi, and their loyal guests are
very happy for it to remain this way. Secluded and remote – we were warned not
to rely on our car sat nav - with gorgeous views of the countryside, Borgo di Carpiano is a blissfully peaceful hideaway.

A pretty
cluster of stone buildings in a hamlet dating back to the 10th
century, the heart of Borgo di Carpiano is a converted 17th century
church. Purchased in 2001 in an utterly dilapidated state and carefully, lovingly
restored over seven years, it has been given a new lease of life by Marilisa
and Riccardo. Instead of Sunday Mass, the fresco-walled, wood-beamed former
church now serves as a charming place for guests to gather each evening for
aperitifs, smooth jazz and convivial conversation – a congregation of a different
kind!

The rooms
at Borgo di Carpiano (there are nine) are located either in the
converted-church (ours had stunning views across the valley) or in stone
cottages with private terraces and gardens, all linked by cobblestones. Our tastefully
decorated room had a sumptuous bed fitted with beautiful white linen trimmed in
saffron yellow, wooden floorboards, large antique armoire, separate bathroom
with pretty antique tiles, and a window seat from which to contemplate the
dreamy vistas (and spectacular sunrises). We slept with the windows wide open, breathing in the crisp
country air - and the heady smell of woodsmoke - waking early to watch the sun
rise over the distant hills.

The
heat of the day – even in early October the weather in Umbria can be
wonderfully warm – is best dealt with by dozing on a sunbed by the infinity
pool taking intermittent dips to cool off.

And
if you need further coaxing to relax (the driving in Italy can certainly raise
the blood pressure!), there is a beautiful gazebo at the edge of the woods
where you can jacuzzi until your fingers and toes are wrinkled, indulge in a massage
(our massage therapist was brilliant) and fall asleep in a swaying hammock
beneath an olive tree.

And
if that doesn’t put you into holiday mode, Marilisa and Riccardo’s warmth,
kindness and enthusiasm (and offers of Prosecco!) surely will.

Even
if you are not seduced by the stunning landscapes and wonderful hospitality, go
to Borgo di Carpiano for the food.Marilisa and Riccardo previously owned a boutique hotel and restaurant
in Antigua and I think, judging by the guestbook comments, many of their guests
followed them from Antigua to Umbria! Yes, the food is that good.Exquisitely presented and entirely
seasonal, the dinner tasting menu is decided by the chef and Riccardo on the
day according to what is available in the market garden and guest preferences.
Highlights included plump (yet somehow light and feathery) gnocchi with pinenut
and walnut pesto, cherry tomatoes and salty, tangy grated ricotta, guinea fowl
marinated in yoghurt for 12 hours (must try this at home as I usually find
guinea fowl tough and stringy), prawns swaddled in lardo with creamy chickpea
puree, and pistachio semifreddo with chocolate sauce – sort of a grown up
version of ice-cream with Ice Magic! (my favourite and judging by the oohs and ahhs
from the other guests, I wasn’t alone).

Lillo Tatini, Panicale. Recommended by our friends who reside for part of the year in
Umbria, we enjoyed a delicious lunch here. The ravioli stuffed with quail eggs
and sheep’s milk ricotta was particularly good as was the handmade tagliatelle
with ragu. And leave room for desert!

There
are hilltop towns to explore (we managed Todi, Gubbio, Perugia, Montefalco, Panicale
and Castiglione del Lago) but my absolute must-do/one for the bucket-list was a
day spent truffle hunting and eating wonderful homemade (and home grown)
Umbrian dishes with Wild Foods Italy. So incredibly special and unique, it was one of the
highlights of my year and perhaps my life**

Run
by New Zealander Nathan Mac Ryde, an accomplished artist turned sheep farmer
(he married into the family!) and his Italian wife Francesca, the Wild Foods Gastronomic Adventure takes place in the beautiful mountain village of Pettino.
Exquisite views, a family who have
lived and farmed traditionally in Umbria for hundreds of years, an Antipodean
who fell in love with a local girl after herding sheep at 3am with her father .
. . an incredible story and the stuff BBC food documentaries are made on.

Our
small group consisted of like-minded food lovers from the Netherlands, America
and Australia and we spent the day hunting for truffles, drinking chilled
Prosecco on a rolling mountainside while snacking on slivers of pecorino cheese
and freshly scrambled eggs adorned with lashings of shaved truffle, and watching
Francesca’s mama hand make pasta before sitting down to a multiple course
lunch (with multiple glasses of wine!) with the family. It was a wonderfully
authentic experience and we were all a little reluctant to leave at the end of
the day (a couple of us suggested we would make fine additions to the
mountain-top enclave).

7 comments:

Hi Vanessa, I've been following you for a while, often I publish your street style outfits on my blog (with the link back to your site) but the thing I like the most is your way to shot villages and cities. There is something so peaceful and beautiful in every single shot that I can't explain! This borgo remember me those around Siena (Tuscany, where I'm living right now), it's simply wonderful!Thanks for share this post, I really would like to know all your segrets to have these effects!

ps: (sorry to bother u again, this comment doesn't need to be published) about a months ago I visited San Gimignano (about 1h from Siena) and I took a lots of photos, well I used just my smartphone but I tried to do my best, so if this is not a problem I leave you the link so maybe you can take a look at those shots.Thx!

@Nico - thanks so much for your kind words :))) Oh yes, I love Tuscany as well! You are so lucky to be living there. I will check out your San Gimignano post. You must pop "across the border" to Umbria as well - it feels rather different than Tuscany.

@Amy - thanks so much Amy. It was a beautiful place to stay :))

@Metamundus - Count me in too! You can't go wrong with Italian-made espresso and sheep in the mountains!

@Debra - thanks, as always, Debra for your kind words. I hope you are well? I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

@Clementine- Hey Clementine how are you? It was some kind of heaven for sure :))) I would love to catch up with you in Paris again soon!